Nguyen's Kitchen coming to Cohasset in December

By Abigail Adams aadams@wickedlocal.com

Thursday

Oct 11, 2018 at 12:20 PMDec 3, 2018 at 12:50 PM

After sitting empty for months, the King Street (Rt. 3A) restaurant space that was formerly occupied by the Blu Mussel Tavern, will soon be home to Nguyen’s Kitchen. The owners of the Vietnamese Asian-fusion restaurant plan to open in December.

Representing the Nguyen family at Tuesday's selectmen's meeting, attorney Peter Pasciucco said owning a restaurant has been a lifelong dream for the Quincy residents, who have spent the last several years working in Vietnamese restaurants across Massachusetts. Now, the Nguyens are seizing the opportunity to run their own business in Cohasset.

The Nguyen’s are aiming for a “family-friendly” restaurant serving authentic Asian cuisine, Pasciucco said. Although they hope a liquor license approved by selectmen this week will be a good source of revenue for the business, alcoholic beverages won't be the focus at Nguyen's Kitchen, he said.

The restaurant currently features 124 seats in the main dining room and 30 seats at the bar. Thu Hanh Nguyen will act as the restaurant’s manager while her brother will serve as chef and both expect to be in the restaurant daily. The Nguyens plan to offer take-out service in addition to their dine-in option.

Despite their experience in the restaurant industry, this will be the first time either of the Nguyen’s will manage a liquor license. Selectmen, who serve as the liquor licensing authority in Cohasset, offered the new business owners a copy of the regulations to help familiarize them with the laws.

Selectmen said good communication between the business and the town will be key to success for Nguyen's Kitchen. Selectman Steve Gaumer said the business owners “can easily meet the board’s expectations” with good communication.

A number of different businesses have occupied the space at 156 King Street over the years including most recently The Blu Mussel Tavern, which closed without warning in September--just a year-and-a-half after opening. Prior to that, the Great Neck Grille occupied the building for only a year before closing its doors. The location has been home to several other restaurants since the early 2000s including, Constantine’s, KoKo Island, Signorelli’s, Acapulco’s, Pacini’s, and Blackstone Tavern.

Pasciucco said since acquiring the property, the Nguyen’s discovered a “move-in ready” space and have been working to complete some necessary renovations, begin hiring staff and complete the menu. The Nguyen’s have also been working with Pam Fahey from the town’s Health Department to ensure compliance with all health regulations, he said.

The proposed hours of operation for Nguyen’s Kitchen are 11 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.